The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
In This Issue New Campus President myChicagoSchool New Virtual Bookstore New Leadership Counseling Centers Professor Honored Mental Health Center Bouchet Society Future Faculty Program Research Clerkship Leader Fellowship Volunteer Day Contest Winners Alum Spotlight Loan Forgiveness
2013-2014 Academic Calendar Visit the academic calendar for on-ground and online through 2017-2018.
January 2013 Message from the National President Happy New Year! Welcome to all returning and new students. I trust you enjoyed a wonderful holiday, and are re-energized and ready for a new year. During the break, I took the opportunity to reflect upon the mission and values of our institution, in part, due to the current conversations about mental health and the Sandy Hook tragedy, which I shared on The Huffington Post. I also felt great pride about TCSPP’s contributions to issues, such as the crisis in mental health care. I thought about our early days in 1979 when a group of psychologists, committed to providing professional training in a nonprofit setting, had the courage and fortitude to launch our first campus in Chicago. Today, we stand strong with three campuses, a thriving online-blended program, and recognition by our peers as an institution of great quality and forward-thinking psychologists.
TCSPP Hosted Survivors of Suicide The L.A. Campus held International Survivor of Suicide Loss Day on Nov. 17, 2012, welcoming about 40 attendees who lost a loved one. The day included panel discussions, break-out sessions and a film to help unite the community.
Student to Present at Art Therapy Conference Darcy Lubbers, MFT, from the Somatic Psychology Program at the L.A. Campus, will present Integrating Clinical Art Therapy and Somatic Psychology: A Blended Model at the American Art Therapy Association conference in Seattle (June 26-30).
I am proud of how we train students for their careers and for their dedication to community service. Just this past year we had a 100 percent practicum placement rate and donated more than $2 million in pro bono service to communities across all campuses. In addition, with close to 5,000 graduates, so many of our alumni have become leaders in their profession, one of whom you will read about in this issue. I wish everyone a successful semester. Let’s continue to work together to continue the fulfillment of our mission. Warm regards,
Michele Nealon-Woods
Welcome New Chicago Campus President We are pleased to announce Dr. Patricia Arredondo as the new president of TCSPP's Chicago Campus, effective February 2013. Dr. Arredondo, a licensed psychologist bilingual in English and Spanish, was formerly with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she was associate vice chancellor and interim dean for the School of Continuing Education and professor of educational psychology.
Bring Your Ideas to Campus Forums Please look for an invitation for TCSPPhosted mental health forums in late January and February to gather ideas of our role in the
Among her many accolades, she is the 2013 recipient of the prestigious Henry Tomes Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Psychology given by the Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests. Read more about Dr. Arredondo here.
New myChicagoSchool Set to Launch
mental health movement.
In The News Dr. Hector Torres Zubarrio Radio (Live) January 14, 2013 Dr. James Shaw KNX Radio L.A. (Live) January 10, 2013 TCSPP VirtualStrategy Magazine January 10, 2013 Dr. Patricia Arredondo Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel January 8, 2013 & The Morning Journal December 30, 2012 Dr. Jay Finkelman Baruch College Alumni Magazine December 2012
Dr. Melody Bacon The Santa Clarita Valley Signal December 31, 2012 & The OC Register November, 27 2012 Dr. Daniela Schreier CNN December 14, 2012 Dr. James Shaw Fox News (Live) December 17, 2012
A new, user-friendly student gateway - myChicagoSchool - is scheduled to launch in February. This resource will give students easy access to online classes, checking email, registering for courses, checking grades, applying for financial aid, paying tuition, visiting the library, and getting the latest announcements. To access myChicagoSchool, students can use their current username and password, which will be saved during their session to provide direct access to eCollege and other features. Students also can log into Gmail and select the “stay signed-in” option for future immediate access to their emails. Please look for more details soon!
New Virtual Book Store Now Online The institution has partnered with Akademos, the new online bookstore, to offer new, used, rental, and eBook options with free shipping on most orders more than $49 (excluding Marketplace orders). Books may be sold on the Marketplace anytime, and students can apply school-issued financial aid vouchers to any order. Even TCSPP apparel will be available soon! Visit now to create an account, view book lists and sell books – spring 2013 books are ready to order. For questions, reach out to Student Affairs.
Leadership Appointments As TCSPP continues to grow and develop quality programs, the institution welcomes Dr. Gino Natalicchio as the new vice president of Online and Blended Learning Programs; Dr. Eric Morrison, director of the National Center for Research and Practice, Veterans and Military Psychology; Dr. Breeda McGrath, dean of Academic Affairs at the Chicago Campus; Dr. Ellis Copeland, dean of Academic Affairs at the Southern California Campuses; and Wayne Van Ellis, as national registrar in Student Affairs.
Dr. John Shustitzky WYCC PBS Chicago December 11, 2012 Dr. Nancy Zarse CBS 2 Chicago December 11, 2012 Student Anjhula Mya Bais Huffington Post December 11, 2012 Alumnus Dr. Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi 7 Days in Dubai October 28, 2012 Alumnus Dr. Rachel Niemi Northwest Indiana Times September 30, 2012
Annual Giving Campaign Give the gift of opportunity. Don’t let financial barriers keep talented students from pursuing their dreams. Give to the 2012-2013 Annual Giving Campaign: “The Promise of Opportunity.” If you've already made a donation, thank you.
Counseling Center Students Develop Community Projects Students at the Counseling Centers in Westwood and Irvine are designing and implementing innovative community outreach projects. To-date, projects have included support groups for new mothers; teens who have been bullied; transitioning high school students and family members of sex offenders; development of brochures on issues facing LGTBQ teens; and a presentation on teenage girls and body image.
L.A. Forensic Faculty & Chicago Department Honored Dr. Clive Kennedy, faculty member in the Forensic Psychology Department at the Los Angeles Campus, was awarded the Excellence In Motion Award by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department for his exemplary service to the Vital Intervention and Direction Alternatives (VIDA) program. As part of the program, Dr. Kennedy and several TCSPP students counsel at-risk youth, helping reduce truancy and improving academic performance. The work with VIDA is one of hundreds of community partnerships TCSPP has developed across all campuses to ensure students gain hands-on experience and give back to those in-need. On a related note, the Forensic Psychology Department in Chicago received a recognition award for “Outstanding Service” from the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology.
TCSPP Center Plays Leading Role at Conference For the third year, the Chicago Campus Latina/o Mental Health Center and the Latino Mental Health Providers Network played a leading role in the organization and implementation of the 2012 Latina/o Behavioral Health
Conference. The Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute also supported the successful event which included 150 mental health providers, students, administrators, and legislators. At the Irvine Campus, Dr. Ricardo Gonsalves is developing a Biennial Latina/o Mental Health Conference to be held this year. Titled “Identity and the Politics of Hope,� the conference will feature several notable professionals in the field. Look for more details soon.
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Great News! The Chicago School of Professional Psychology was accepted as a new institutional partner of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, and will launch a chapter across all campuses in the spring. The school was selected because of its commitment to producing Ph.D. students and serving underrepresented groups. The Bouchet Society was originally a collaboration with Yale University and Howard University in 2005, and was named for Yale University alumnus, Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet in 1896, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from an American university, and the sixth person ever to earn a doctorate in physics in the Western Hemisphere. "This is a significant achievement and puts the institution in the company of some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including Yale, Michigan, UCSD, UCLA, Duke, and Georgetown," commented Dr. Orlando Taylor, president of the Washington, D.C. Campus, who was instrumental in bringing this opportunity to TCSPP. Student recruitment begins this month, and TCSPP hopes to induct the first cohort by March. For more details, contact Dr. Taylor.
Preparing Future Psychology Faculty Program Launched The APA Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs awarded TCSPP a grant to launch the first-ever Preparing Future Psychology
Faculty Program to attract and train a cohort of doctoral students from under-represented racial and ethnic minority groups for future careers in psychology. Thirty six students across the three campuses and Online/Blended programs have qualified to take part in this esteemed group. Participants will attend workshops and lectures on higher education issues as well as shadow professors during the spring semester, culminating in an event for those who have completed the program. Congratulations to the students who have been accepted. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this effort so this may be used as a model for graduate programs at other schools nationwide.
Research Clerkship Partners Students and Faculty Students in the Clinical Psy.D. Department at the Chicago Campus have the opportunity to partner with faculty to work on a research team through a research clerkship course. The program began in 2007 by then Department Chair Dr. Nealon-Woods to give students more research experience prior to beginning dissertation work. Research Clerkship is required for Child and Adolescent track students and optional for Generalist students, although the majority choose to enroll. Students complete various parts of a research study, including literature reviews, Institutional Review Board proposals, book chapters, or other writing projects. According to Department Chair Dr. Thomas Barrett, about 20-25 percent finish their doctorate with at least one presentation or publication stemming from their participation in the course. Many use the topics they studied as a basis for their dissertations. Some research topics include: the effects of growing up with an ADHD diagnosis; the impact of exposure to community violence; mental health support for health care delivery models; and indicators for success in graduate school. Students are matched with professors based on mutual research interests, and an ultimate goal is to present and publish findings in academic journals. The course gives
students invaluable research training with the added clinical experience that a Psy.D. program emphasizes.
Leader Fellowship Awarded Ismail Koubaytari, Katerina Malat, Diana M. Walker, and Yuanbo (Will) Liu received a Leader Fellowship from the Community Partnerships program in Chicago, and will be developing a community-based project over the next six months. Dr. Janet Shlaes, an adjunct MACP faculty member, received the “Maestro” award for her commitment to the Community Engaged Scholarship.
Student Services Team Volunteers In Community
The Chicago Campus' Student Services team spent a day volunteering at the Mitzi Friedheim Englewood Child & Family Center, organizing donated goods and helping families shop these goods for the holidays. They also received a tour of the center and spent time in the children’s library discussing literacy programs for Head Start and Pre-Head Start children.
Study Abroad Photo and Video Contest Winners Congratulations to the 2012 winners of the International Travel Photo and Video Contest! Student Cara Timko won the photo contest with a picture (right) from her trip to Rwanda in Spring 2012. Student Grace Garouette won the video contest with footage from her trip to Nepal in Fall 2011. See the winning video here.
Meet Alumna Dr. Rita McCleary Alumna Dr. Rita McCleary (’88), assistant clinical professor at Yale University, shares her experience at TCSPP and how it shaped her career as a practitioner and professor.
Loan Forgiveness Programs Available Graduates who want to work in underserved communities may be interested in federal loan repayment award programs, which often offer federal government positions to fully licensed master- and doctoral-level mental health professionals. Most require a commitment of at least two years, and the application periods occur during a specific time of year directly through the government. Examples include the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for those who take public service jobs or the Department of Health & Human Services’ National Health
Service Corps (NHSC) for those who work in underserved areas. Through NHSC, fully licensed mental and behavioral health providers may become eligible for up to full loan repayment, depending on length of participation.
Mission Statement
Integrating theory, professional practice, and innovation, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology provides an excellent education for careers in psychology and related behavioral and health sciences. The school is committed to service and embraces the diverse communities of our society. Our logo symbolizes: • Education • Innovation • Service • Community